Computer-based forms provide a convenient means for collecting information. The information received could be used to complete a purchase of airline tickets, to provide access to an internet-based discussion forum, or to obtain survey results, among many other possible examples. Law enforcement uses such forms to collect information regarding criminal suspects—information such as a suspect's ethnicity, gender, hair color, eye color, height, weight, and date of birth, among other examples.
A user entering information into a computer-based form may have more confidence in the accuracy of some provided information (as compared to other provided information). For example, a police officer may suspect that a criminal perpetrator has dyed his or her hair. When entering information about the perpetrator into a computer-based form, the officer may provide information regarding the perpetrator's hair color, even though the officer has little confidence that the provided information is accurate. The computer-based form may not provide a way for the officer to indicate the level of his or her confidence in the accuracy of the provided information. Even if the form provides a way to indicate the officer's confidence that the provided information is accurate, the manner of indicating that confidence may nonetheless be cumbersome or inefficient, thus reducing the likelihood that the officer would provide any indication of that confidence. Accordingly, there is a need for establishing the officer's (or other user's) confidence in the accuracy of the provided information in a way that is convenient for the officer (or other user).
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.